Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, never will be. I wouldn't mind keeping them though. But I'm not going to exchange my family for the Girardis. My family's the best! Can I have both?
A/N: Every time I watch an ep of JoA I have the feeling that something's missing. Maybe that's just because I don't want it to end, but I'll try and fill in some scenes into the episodes, starting with the Pilot.
English is still not my first language and this hasn't been beta-ed, so consider yourself warned. :-) If you like it, I'd appreciate it, if you could leave a review – just to know that somebody actually read it makes the writing so much more rewarding. Even though – to be honest – I write this more for me than for anybody else. Anyway, here we go:
Pilot - Back to normal(The continuation of the scene that ends with Joan and Kevin play fight)
„Kevin, please, stop it! Stop it, please!" Joan was still giggling helplessly on her brother's lap while he continued tickling her. It felt weird to have one of these tickling fights with him again and she had to admit that he'd definitely gained some strength in his arms. Not that she'd ever had a real chance against him, but right now, even though she was kicking and fighting and trying to free herself, he was keeping her on his lap where he could reach her and continued to tease her.
"Stop it!" she shouted again and finally her brother stopped. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, suppressing her fighting and asked, "So you want mercy? You're going to surrender?" Having Joan so close and fighting with her hadn't happened in a while and Kevin had to admit that he was glad he still had the drop on her. Even though she was holding that glass in her hand.
"A truce?" Joan suggested, but raised her hands in defence when Kevin started tickling her again. "Okay, yes. I declare unconditional surrender! Just stop it, please!"
Kevin laughed and finally let go, giving Joan and chance to relax and come up for air. She put the glass back on the table but stayed seated on his lap. "You're such an idiot," she complained. "I was really scared I'd hurt you."
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Stop worrying so much, okay? I remember the fights we had when we were kids and they were so much harder and rougher."
Joan nodded. "Yeah, they were. Especially the ones between Luke and you. One of you ended up bleeding or hurting almost every time and usually it was Luke."
"Exactly. You know that our little brother hardly had a chance against you and I was the stronger one anyway, neither you nor him hardly hurt me, so why did you freak out this time?" He knew the answer but right now he felt good and able to confront her. And he felt as if it was time to confront her. Things had always been easy between him and Joan and with all the stuff going around them he wanted at least her to loosen up again.
Joan bit her lip and looked into her brother's eyes. "You know why, don't you?" Why did he have to turn the fun fight into such a serious conversation? But maybe it was her, who'd been so serious about it from the beginning. It had been Kevin who'd started to make fun of him kicking her, not her.
Kevin raised his hands as if to strengthen his irritated expression. "No, not really. I'm as healthy as I will get, so please stop pampering me! It's hard enough to see Mom trying not to protect me and do all the things for me, so please stop doing it too, okay? The chance of you hurting me has halved, so stop worrying. A single kick from you will not kill me."
Joan wrapped a strand of her hair around a finger and said, "I know. And when you say it, it sounds so easily, but you didn't see yourself in the hospital and later at home... you were so..." She was looking for words and stared at the floor, avoiding Kevin's gaze. All the hurt was written in her face, all the horror of the days after the accident and all the worry if and how her brother would live.
"...broken?" he finished her sentence. When she nodded, he continued, "I know. Don't you think I know? Please believe me, I know how much I hurt all of you, how much everybody's life changed, but can't we go back to normal?"
"Because Mom loves normal and Dad really loves normal?" Joan asked, slowly looking up again and saying the words back at him, he'd used only a few minutes ago.
Kevin smiled. "Yeah, because they love normal and because we love it too."
"We all love normal, but can't you understand that beneath all this unreal normalcy we're pretending, we still want to help you? That we're still worried about you?" Joan was now looking at him again, trying to make him understand that it was still hard for all of them to pretend as if nothing had changed and not to treat him differently. That sometimes, despite all her effort, it would just happen.
Kevin understood even the words she didn't say out loud. "I can accept that and I do. But I can't let you anymore. So, slap me in the face or kick me if you feel that's appropriate. And don't worry so much. I won't break again."
Joan looked him in the eyes again and Kevin could see all the worries and the sorrow there when she asked silently, "You promise? 'cause I couldn't stand that again."
He bit his lip and nodded. "I promise. When you promise not to be insane and talk to me before Mom asks me to."
Joan nodded too. "Yeah. I can do that. I guess I'm fine."
"So am I. Despite you kicking me and splashing the water in my face I feel great. I missed our oh so friendly way of non-verbally solving problems." He smiled brightly, proving his words to be honest.
Finally Joan smiled a genuine smile. "Yeah," she said, "Me too. And... thanks for the... you know... talk."
"Hey," Kevin grinned. "That's my brotherly duty."
"Glad you're back," Joan whispered and hugged him, before standing up.
"Me too," Kevin replied and hugged her back before letting her go.
"Joan! Kevin! Dinner's ready!" they heard their mother yell from the kitchen.
"Guess it's time to face the parental units," Kevin grinned.
"Yepp. You're coming?"
"Yepp." He released the brakes of his chair and followed Joan through the door. Maybe at least Joan would stop worrying and things would slowly go back to normal.
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A/N: So, what do you think? That's a way to go? I'd like to explore more scenes and more episodes, so leave me a review, will you? Thanks.
